Many electrical connectors have been designed with provisions for providing a seal against the environment. In some instances, a cover-type seal may be provided, as by the cap 9 in U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,813. In other instances, various types of end seals or face seals may be used, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,571,799; 3,982,813; 4,109,989; and 4,241,967. Some connectors employ various forms of annular sealing grommets, as also illustrated in some of the aforementioned patents and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,802. In those systems employing sealing grommets and having multiple wires and terminals, it is conventional to provide either a single grommet having individual openings through which respective ones of the terminals and wires may pass or individual grommets for each terminal and wire. However, such sealing configurations may be wanting in their ability to seal, or in the cost to provide a number of grommets or the time and effort required to insert a number of terminals through a single grommet seal. Additionally, while such sealing configurations may be suitable for connectors in which the terminals are in a generally circular or round pattern, they may be far less suitable or even unsatisfactory for connector assemblies of other geometries.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved sealing arrangement for an electrical connector assembly. Included in this object is the provision of a sealing arrangement which resists the environment, as in an automobile, and which is particularly suited for use with a multi-terminal connector, especially such a connector having the terminals in other than a circular pattern.